Why are schools trying to wipe out regional accents? Lynsey Hanley The news that trainee teachers are being encouraged to adopt a more middle-class accent is part of a worrying trend Call it the “Downton effect”, or the return of old-fashioned regional snobbery, but there is, increasingly, one accep...

Unions hail scrapping of English academy plans Teaching unions have welcomed the government's decision to ditch plans to force all state schools in England to become academies. They said the move was recognition that "one size" did not fit all schools. Ministers said the government had listened to c...

Neuroscientists create ‘atlas’ showing how words are organised in the brain Using brain imaging, scientists have built a map displaying how words and their meanings are represented across different regions of the brain https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/apr/27/brain-atlas-showing-how-words-are...

Local authority schools outperform academies, research suggests The government’s plan to force all schools to become academies has come under further attack with research which suggests that council-maintained schools outperform academies at inspection. Analysis by the Local Government Association (...

Hunt for new Ofsted chief inspector of schools reaches final stage The government’s hunt for a replacement for Sir Michael Wilshaw as Ofsted’s chief inspector of schools in England has entered its final phase after the shortlisted candidates were interviewed this week. Amanda Spielman, the chair of ...

Thanks Kenm for the comments and especially the very interesting quote from Machiavelli. "... there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." Niccolo Macchiavelli, "The P...

Revealed: England faces shortfall of 10,000 primary school places England faces a looming crisis over primary school numbers as official figures point to a shortfall of 10,000 places across the country within four years. As millions of parents prepare to receive letters on Monday telling them whethe...

I agree Maizie , not a great headline but there’s a significant problem, according to the OECD schools in the UK are among the most socially segregated in Western Europe and this is bad for all our children. Research by the Sutton Trust in 2013 showed that the top 500 Comprehensives had on average 7...

Primary schools accused of 'social segregation' by rejecting poorer pupils in favour of children from richer homes Primary schools in England have been accused of “social segregation” after a report showed more than 1,500 schools were turning away disadvantaged pupils in favour of children from high...

Academy plan could cost £1.3bn, says Labour Labour is predicting the government's plan to convert all England's state schools to academies could cost more than £1.3bn. The party says the figure is based on a Parliamentary written answer which shows the government paid £66,000 per school for earlier ...